Can you eat spicy foods when breastfeeding?

Question

I have heard both answers. My mom swears that when she was breastfeeding me she had to eat the blandest food known to man or else I'd get very fussy.

The LC at the hospital told me to eat whatever I wanted but to lay off the coffee. I haven't started drinking coffee again even though I am past the 1st trimester and I don't feel as sick anymore, I just don't really want to drink it so I don't. When I was pregnant with my twins I was working full-time and had. to. have. it. every. morning.

But anyhow... did you eat spicy stuff when breastfeeding? I really love spicy food so hopefully I can still do it.

I tend to believe that it's Ok because people in other cultures like India for example tend to have a diet rich in curries and other spices and they breastfeed just fine. Same with Southeast Asia, Africa, etc. Is that a myth or what?

Answer 1

It's a myth for the most part. I eat spicy all the time with no problems.

Answer 2

I ate all the spicy, heavily flavored food I wanted while pregnant and now while nursing.  My kiddo has been fine.  The only challenge?  He refuses blander foods.  He only wants curries, salsas, and peppery foods!

Answer 3

Its definitely a myth. You can eat pretty much anything you want while breastfeeding -- I breastfeed my son and eat all kinds of italian, spanish/mexican and cajun foods. He's fine!

Just pay attention to your baby if you see them getting agitated or irritable after you eat something in particular, they could be allergic and you may have to modify your diet a bit.

But other than an allergy (which is rare to spices), eat whatever you want!

Good luck! <3

Answer 4

it actually depends on baby. My daughter doesn't mind the spicey. I actually craved hot wings and mint ice cream my last few weeks pregnant with her. But I can't eggs. It just totally depends on your baby and if she likes it. Your milk changes taste with what you eat. So there is no reason not too. I really haven't changed my diet at all.  

Answer 5

i really think it depends on what type of spicey foods your eating, and it depends on the baby as well. I have always been told that you will know what to eat and what not to eat by paying attention to the child. My friend could eat pretty much anything and was okay, then my other friend couldnt because it gave her baby such bad gas.. she could not eat fried food, spicy food, and some fruits and veggies.. so i guess it really depends and you just have to watch to see how your baby reacts to what you eat

Answer 6

"I tend to believe that it's Ok because people in other cultures like India for example tend to have a diet rich in curries and other spices and they breastfeed just fine. Same with Southeast Asia, Africa, etc. Is that a myth or what?"

Your belief is correct. I don't know how much time I'd waste arguing it with any of the many nice mothers convinced that every time they ate half a teaspoon of salsa, baby got fussy, and the two were magically linked, but your belief is correct.

Answer 7

It is a myth.  you can eat anything you want to during breatfeeding.  everything in moderation that is.  That is the way that it should be anyways.  Enjoy you spicy, garlicy foods!!!!

Answer 8

With my first if I ate cheap curry from the corner store my son would yell as he didn't like the taste, but it didn't upset his belly.  He couldn't handle coffee either.

With my second I ate a more varied diet during pregnancy (different food aversions) and drank coffee the whole time (less paranoid, I didn't have it every day or anything though I do now) and NOTHING bothers him, he basically never cried at all until he was 5 months or more.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9646449/page...

And bring on the spices. Science is catching up with the folklore that babies in the womb and those who are breast-fed taste — and develop a taste for — whatever Mom eats. So experts say if Mom enjoys loads of oregano, baby might, too.

That's been Maru Mondragon's experience. The 40-year-old Mexican indulged on spicy foods while pregnant with her youngest son, 21-month-old Russell, but not while carrying his 3-year-old brother, Christian.

Christian has a mild palate while his younger brother snacks on jalapenos and demands hot salsa on everything.

"If it is really spicy, he cries, but still keeps eating it," says Mondragon, who moved to Denver four years ago.

http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nb...

Garlic, in sufficient quantity, will alter the smell and taste of breastmilk. This peaks in intensity two hours following consumption. Though your expressed milk may have a pungent aroma, researchers have found that babies actually prefer garlic flavored mothers' milk! In one study, nursing moms were given either a placebo or a garlic capsule on the day of testing. It was found that the infants nursed longer, sucked more, and took in a larger quantity, when their mom's milk had the aroma and flavor of garlic (Mennella & Beauchamp, 1991). It has been hypothesized that the fetus has already been exposed to a variety of flavors and tastes while in utero (and the sense of taste is functional), so this taste may be quite familiar.

In the United States we sometimes forget about nursing moms in other cultures. Indian moms who are nursing continue to enjoy their curries. Moms from Mexico will still eat their spicy dishes that are full of flavor. But we feel that while nursing we must adhere to a bland diet, and this is just not the case for most nursing moms.

If you do suspect that your baby is bothered by a food you eat, remove it from your diet for a week or so. Then eat a small quantity and observe your little one's reaction. If he seems fine, try the same food in a more generous serving several days later. Sometimes a baby can tolerate small amounts of a certain food, but may appear sensitive to large quantities. Or he may be fine if you eat the offending food only one time a week, but will show signs of sensitivity if consumed frequently.

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gas...

The idea that certain foods in any mom's diet will cause gas in her baby is incredibly persistent but is not founded in research. If certain foods in moms' diets were an overall problem for most babies, we would expect that cultures that emphasize those foods would have more gassy and fussy babies, but this does not occur at all.

Answer 9

I eat spicy stuff all the time and our son has never been 'more' fussy bc of it. I say eat what you want. You'll know if something effects your little one ;)

Answer 10

I think spicy food might make your baby fussy.. I would try one time of spicy food. After she fussy then I would stop eating spicy food then the baby happy then baby not handling the spicy food. But I don't know each baby is different. I don't eat spicy food.